Talbot Village Trust has given a grant of more than £2,000 to local charity Help & Care to support its Roots gardening service.
Help & Care provides support to adults of all ages to gain control of their lives and live independently. One of the services it offers, Roots, features a team of volunteer gardeners to help older or vulnerable members of the community to manage their garden, when they are no longer able to themselves.
The Roots team is made up of volunteers who are recovering from mental health illnesses, with the project supporting their recovery by giving training and encouragement to establish work routines, build new skills and develop self-confidence.
The Trust’s grant was used to replace old gardening equipment with more effective tools to allow the volunteers to carry out their tasks with ease. New protective uniforms have also been purchased using the funding. Roots completed more than 400 gardening jobs across Bournemouth and Poole last year and due to the recent investment in equipment, there is now room for a significant increase in activity.
Des Persse, director of services at Help & Care, said: “The funding received from Talbot Village Trust has been vital to help us maintain and develop the service we offer to our local communities. The new equipment has already begun to increase the numbers of gardens our Roots teams can manage and also the number of people who can benefit from this service, to progress their recovery.”
Russell Lucas-Rowe, Trustee of Talbot Village Trust, said: “The Trust is proud to be given the opportunity to support Help & Care with their Roots scheme. We share the same passion as the team to bring together all members of the community to help those who are vulnerable and require more support.”
Talbot Village Trust meets biannually, and will be accepting applications for funding from both previous and new applicants in the area before the Trustees meet in spring of this year. Please go to www.talbotvillagetrust.org for more information.